The Archmage Unbound

by Michael G. Manning

  “How do you plan to handle the vows?” Dorian asked. He was referring of course to the references to the goddess that were traditionally a part of them.

  “Millicenth can go to hell for all I care!” I said vehemently.

  Dorian winced visibly. His eyes darted upward for a moment and I was sure he was wondering when the lightning bolts would strike. “You can’t say things like that Mort!”

  “I’ll be damned if I don’t!” I responded. “She isn’t the goddess they taught us about when we were growing up. She all but ruined Marcus and Penny would be dead if she had gotten her way. If she or any of the other gods want my respect they can start acting like gods instead of spoilt children.”

  Dorian’s face was white as ash now, so I saved him the trouble of answering and walked into the chapel. Harold was kneeling inside, with nothing more than a single candle to provide light. The young man’s shoulders straightened as he heard us enter. I was pretty sure he had been struggling against the urge to sleep.

  Seeing him there I found myself reflecting on my goal. Harold was young, younger even than Dorian and I. He was filled with enthusiasm and an irrational belief that the things would work out for the best. Or perhaps I was just projecting my own past naivety onto him, I couldn’t really be sure. Still I wondered what effect our choices today would have upon his future.

  I walked to the front of the chapel, stopping in front of him. He had remained on his knees and his head was still bowed. “Lift your head Harold Simmons,” I told him. As he looked up I exerted my will and spoke a word, “Lyet,” lighting the candles around the room. Soft golden light surrounded us, accenting the bronze candlesticks and golden oak pews.

  “Today we gather to form a new order of knighthood. One pledged to the protection of the innocent and the defense of the helpless. This order will draw strength from the earth, and its knights shall be known as ‘earth wardens’. As a member your first duty will be the protection of mankind from any and all that would see it harmed. That duty will precede any and all allegiances to mortal men, even myself. Should you accept this honor Harold, you will be the first knight created by this order and the second to join it. Do you still wish to join?”

  “Yes my lord,” he replied. The earnestness in his face almost caused me to lose my train of thought. I had spent some time adapting the ceremony to include what Moira had taught me the night before. I had also re-written the lines I would say. Hopefully I could remember them properly.

  “Sir Dorian, please come stand beside me,” I said, gesturing to my friend where he stood behind Harold. He came closer, till he stood next to me on the dais.

  “Dorian you shall henceforth serve as the grandmaster of the Order of Stone. Do you accept this duty?” I asked.

  “I do, my lord,” he answered.

  “The young man in front of me has come to my attention as being worthy to join our new order. Do you feel that he is acceptable in mind and body?”

  “He is, my lord,” Dorian replied.

  “Give me the sword Sir Dorian,” I commanded. This part of the accolade was fairly standard so he was already holding a scabbarded long sword. He held it toward me with the hilt free for my hand and I drew it smoothly from its sheath. I lifted the naked steel to point upward with the hilt even with my eyes. “Throughout history the knight’s sword has been a symbol of his faith and trust, to both his liege and to the gods. The Knights of the Stone are granted their power by the earth itself, rather than any heavenly agency. You will give fealty to me and pledge to protect humanity itself, even against the gods if necessary. Will you swear to this Sir Dorian?”

  Dorian’s face was a study of warring emotions. I thought for a moment he might faint at the words I had chosen, but then I saw his jaw clench and color returned to his cheeks. At last he answered, “I so swear, I will uphold these vows, and even though the gods themselves may curse me I will not fail in my duty.”

  I looked down on Harold and his blond hair almost seemed to glow in the candlelight. “Will you swear to this Harold?”

  He never hesitated. “I swear it.”

  “Then by the power I hold in trust as Lord of Cameron and the power granted me by the earth itself I dub thee knight,” I intoned, bringing the sword down to lightly touch each of his shoulders once. “Rise Sir Harold and take up your sword.” The young warrior in front of me stood and as I handed him the naked blade I saw there were tears in his eyes.

  Dorian stepped behind him and knelt down. I wasn’t sure what he was doing for a moment, till I saw him buckling the spurs onto Harold’s boots. I always forget that part, I chided myself. Then Dorian stood and buckled the scabbard and belt around Harold’s waist so our new knight could sheath his sword. When he had finished he struck Harold hard between the shoulder blades, almost sending him to his knees. Even the blow was traditional, a welcoming ‘buffet’ given by a senior knight to a new peer. “Welcome brother knight,” he said and then he embraced him.

  “There is yet one thing left undone,” I told them. Both of them looked at me with questioning eyes, traditionally the ceremony was already done. “The Order of the Stone is more than just a name. Now that you have sworn your oaths I may invest you with a small part of the earth’s strength. This does not come without some risk however, and someday you will be forced to relinquish this power lest you become part of the earth itself. Are you both willing?”

  After a short pause they both nodded and responded with ‘ayes’.

  “I must speak with the earth. When I am ready I will hold out my hands silently, each of you take one and respond with these words: ‘I accept this gift freely and freely will I return it when my time is done.’ Do you understand?” I asked. Again they both nodded.

  I sat as Moira had shown me, so as to avoid falling when my mind was too far gone to steady my balance, and then I opened my mind. Moira watch over me, I called mentally. For this she would serve as my miellte. She flowed upward from the stone floor beside us, this time she was composed utterly of grey granite. I sensed more than saw the two men in front of me flinch in surprise, but they held their ground.

  “You may proceed,” she said aloud.

  The deep thrumming of the earth grew louder as I focused upon it, until it seemed to drown out every other sound. As I listened it seemed as if I could almost understand it, though it was unlike any human voice. My mind expanded and I struggled to maintain my balance, to do as she had taught me. “Keep your center,” she had told me last night. “Include as much of it within yourself as you can, but do not let yourself be included within it.”

  And so I did, until it seemed I was composed of nothing more than a giant stone heart, beating in time to some ancient cosmic rhythm. When my thoughts began to disintegrate, to fade into its vastness I stopped… somehow… and I held back. Now to prepare the gift, I thought. Mentally I divided my earthly vastness into three portions, two very small ones and a vast remainder. Their portions must be small or they will not last. Once I was ready I extended those two smaller parts, upward and outward, into a world I could see but barely understand. Lifting my ‘arms,’ I held them out toward the two beings that would become my companions… at least for a time.

  They reached out and grasped me with soft appendages, while making sounds I could not comprehend, yet I could feel their acceptance. With an inward ‘click’ I felt the bonds form as a small portion of me was given into their care. It was finished. Using what seemed like alien eyes I studied the strange space I was in, wondering at its purpose. Now that my goal was accomplished I struggled to remember what I should do. Then another mind touched mine, Mordecai, it is over, you must return to yourself. Leave the earth behind and return to the world of men.

  The sound of my name resonated with something within me and everything began to make sense again. With a dizzying sensation the world seemed to ‘snap’ back into place. I studied my hands for a moment, for everything seemed smaller. Finally I tugged on them a bit, to remind Dorian and Harold they coul
d let go. They both seemed to be dazed and it took them a moment to release me.

  I glanced at Moira. I’m fine now, thank you, I told her mentally. With a nod she sank downward into the stone floor. I looked back to my two companions. Now that I had released my connection with the earth I was no longer connected to them but I could see that they were both connected to something. I could feel an almost subliminal power radiating from them.

  “Mort...,” said Dorian, staring at me. He couldn’t seem to find the words he was looking for. Harold didn’t even try.

  “Take it easy. Your bodies will feel different and it will take a while for you to get used to it,” I told them. I assumed that much from what Penny had gone through when she had formed her bond with me.

  “I feel different,” said Harold.

  “You are. You are stronger than before, possibly faster as well. You also possess extra reserves of energy, so you will not tire quickly. In times of need you can draw upon the earth itself to increase your strength even more but it is unwise to do so. The more you use, beyond what you have now, the faster you will change,” I replied.

  “Change?” he asked.

  “Into stone,” I answered. “The strength you have now you can use safely, for decades at least. Eventually you will start to notice changes, when that happens it will be time to retire and give up your extra power. I will help you release the bond then.”

  Dorian grinned, “So we’re like Penny was?” He was clenching and unclenching his fist slowly as he spoke. I could almost see him trying to decide what to test his newfound strength upon first.

  “Not exactly,” I said. “You are not bound directly to me for one thing, which means that if one of us dies it isn’t a death sentence for the other. You are bound to the earth. The power you gain from it will probably be similar to what Penny gained from me, but I think there will be differences. Not the least of which is the risk that if you draw upon extra strength too often you may begin to turn into stone yourself.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” Dorian replied. “A warrior made of stone would be nigh invulnerable.”

  “A man of stone has no care for the things you love. Nor could he have children,” I said bluntly.

  Dorian’s face went still as he considered it. I could almost see the exact moment Rose entered into his thoughts, for a blush appeared on his cheeks.

  Harold could see it too, “Perhaps it would be best to take care of the ‘having children’ part of it sooner rather than later Sir Dorian, just to be safe.”

  That was the first sign I had encountered of Harold having a sense of humor. I definitely approved. “Mind your manners… ‘brother’,” Dorian snapped angrily at the younger man.

  Together the three of us walked from the chapel. “Rose did say something about meeting with her father. I wonder what that’s about,” I pondered aloud. Dorian shot me a look that warned me not to speculate further so I stopped there. He’d had enough stress for one day I figured. As we stepped through the doors we met Penny and Joe McDaniel waiting outside for us.

  “Is your ‘secret’ ceremony finished?” she asked.

  Dorian was already looking for a distraction so he clapped Harold heartily upon the back. “Meet our newest knight!” he exclaimed. Unfortunately he hadn’t anticipated his strength and Harold was sent hurtling face first into the opposite wall of the corridor. If Penny had been a foot or two to her right he would have knocked her down.

  “I think you two should be careful for a while, until you adjust,” Penny said. I saw her eyes dart toward me for a second with a sad look in them. She never complained but I knew she still missed the bond we had shared when she was my Anath’Meridum. “Let’s go and have breakfast,” she continued in a cheerful tone.

  As we entered the dining hall a cheer rose up, echoing from the walls. Penny stepped back and raised her hands with the crowd and I knew she must have organized it then. “Three cheers for Sir Harold!” she yelled and the people responded. Three times they cheered and each time poor Harold’s face got redder with embarrassment.

  Dorian smiled enough for both of them. My friend wasn’t shy at all… so long as the attention was focused on someone else. He soon had our newest knight moving through the crowd so that everyone could clap him upon the back as he made his way to the high table. As they went I watched Penny with new eyes. She never failed to surprise me. I hadn’t suspected she was organizing a celebration such as this at all.

  Now that she had it was obvious to me that someone needed to do it, but it had never occurred to me. I was grateful again that she had seen fit to marry me. Seeing how the people responded to her enthusiasm gave me even more joy. If something ever happened to me I didn’t worry that they would follow her in my stead, she had already captured their hearts.

  She turned to look back as we walked, meeting my eyes with a smile. Her body was swelling at the waist, and in more interesting places, yet her expression still held the sparkle of the girl I had always loved. Something in my face must have told her my thoughts then, for she leaned back and kissed me sweetly. “You look happy,” she said, whispering directly into my ear, the room was too noisy to be heard otherwise.

  And that was when I finally realized it. Despite the recent war, despite my father’s death and all the terrible things that had happened, I was happy. My people were cheering, not for me, but for someone else, and I was happy. I had a place, friends, love, and the beginnings of a new family. Certainly there were problems to be overcome still, but at that moment they seemed small. Negotiate peace with the king and then all I would have to do would be to protect the people from a few unnatural enemies. It seemed almost simple.

  “That’s because I am happy!” I yelled back at her over the ruckus. She laughed and we sat down to the best breakfast I could recall eating in years.

  Sometimes mornings aren’t as bad as they seem at first.

  Chapter 16

  I made sure to get to bed early that night. I had finished Harold’s armor early and he and Dorian had left me to make sure all the fittings were adjusted perfectly. Consequently I made it to dinner on time and spent a quiet evening with Penelope. In short, my day had been almost as good as the morning was.

  Penny and I rose early the next day. The preparations had already been made but we wanted to get a good breakfast in before we had to part ways. Today was the day I would be traveling to Albamarl. Rose and Dorian arrived almost as soon as we did, and even more suspiciously, they arrived together. I gave my friend a hard stare as he escorted her to the table and he rewarded me by blushing bright red.

  Penny elbowed me and I lost my fierce glare, lapsing into a smile instead. “Don’t tease him Mort!” she hissed in my ear. “He’s terribly embarrassed and it’s taken her months to get him to this point.”

  I looked at Penny in astonishment. They’ve been plotting this for months! I thought to myself. I wondered idly whether Dorian had just escorted Rose from her room or if he had been inside… I shook my head. No, that simply wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. “So does that mean…?” I asked curiously.

  She gave me a hopeless look. “No! And wipe that stupid smirk off your face!” she told me. I finally complied and we both tried to put on normal expressions before Rose and Dorian sat down with us. I could tell Penny wasn’t really angry though, she had been struggling to keep her composure too.

  Dorian held Rose’s chair for her with an expression of absolute concentration. He had the look of a man who knew if he lost his focus for even a second something terrible would happen. I did my best not to stare at him but apparently no one had given my mother the message. She was sitting across from them and she watched him with approval.

  “About time you starting courting her properly Dorian,” Miriam observed. Dorian turned red and I had to stare at my plate to avoid laughing at his discomfort.

  My friend stepped back from her chair and backed into one of the kitchen servers. The poor girl lost her tray and stumbled forward trying
to catch it as fresh baked bread went flying in all directions. In spite of his social awkwardness Dorian had never been clumsy and with surprising dexterity he reached out to keep her from falling forward.

  Naturally his hand landed firmly on her bosom and the lass in question jerked backward reflexively. I had given up cataloguing the many shades of pink and red Dorian was displaying but he wasn’t done yet. As the girl fell backward he lunged and turned, swept her up and caught her deftly, while his face shifted to a lovely shade of beet red. All the noise in the dining hall stopped expectantly while Dorian stood behind the high table holding the maid in his arms.

  Every head in the room focused firmly on him and it was then that something in Dorian’s head finally snapped. He had been pushed beyond some limit of absolute embarrassment and his sanity shattered like a glass dropped on a stone floor. He stared at the room for a long second before breaking into a country jig. After a few steps he twirled and set the girl on her feet but kept one of her hands in his as he spun her out and away as if she was his dance partner.

  At the end he released her hand and made an elaborate bow to her. The girl was quick on her feet and returned the gesture with a remarkably well done curtsey. The room exploded with applause and cheers. Penny and Rose were standing now as they clapped and I had nearly fallen from my chair. There were tears in my eyes and I felt sure I would die from laughing too hard.

  Dorian picked up one of the fallen loaves and sat down triumphantly. “This really is good bread you know,” he announced calmly. “Would you like a piece Rose?” he said offering it to her.

  She had already lost her composure with all the laughter, but her wits were second to none. “I think I’d like some privacy first,” she said with a wink.

  Dorian’s mind must have returned to normal already, for the remark cost him his ability to speak. He stared at her with his mouth open.